A Series of Unfortunate Events
by sondering
Summary: "This - this isn't such a good idea. We should stop." "Stop?" Thorne said. "We can't stop." He was right. The board already predicted our futures; both the good, harmless questions and the bad, gruesome ones. We already knew what we needed to know about each and everyone one of us from our wedding days to our death beds. It was too late to take back the knowledge of it all.
1. Chapter 1

**Cress's POV**

It was on Christmas Eve when I first got the board.

Carswell had given it to me as a Christmas present. I, being the naive-sheltered-Catholic-girl that I was under my fathers rules and regulations, had often told Thorne about my interest in ouija boards. So it was not too far-fetched for me to request one as a Christmas present.

I know it was because of my naiveness that caused me to be in such a mess. To cause _all of us_ to enter the world of death, sorrow, black, funerals, white flowers contrasted with the white snow, caskets, morbid dreaming and fatal encounters with the other side in the middle of the night.

I simply cannot pinpoint _exactly_ when my naiveness reached its endpoint in order for me to want something as dangerous as this. Was it when the charismatic Thorne came into my life? The unmistakably hot and rebellious boy that urged me to do rebellious things? No. I couldn't blame my wishes on him.

Was it being more exposed to the outside world? I was too used to being babied by my father. The only inheritance of Dr. Dimitri Darnel. I didn't even start going to a public school until high school. Until fifth grade, I was even homeschooled. Was it the Catholic girl in me that was gone ever since I attended Luna University? Ever since I was on my own with no one to tell me that this was a wrong idea? Diving into college with the inquisitive nature and innocence of a child?

A part of me curses myself... a part of me _knew_ ever since I spoke those words and researched the board that it was a bad idea. A part of me knew it was my fault for the unjust deaths of half of my friends and the paranoid prophetic futures of the others. I was surprised that they still wanted to be friends with me. That they _tolerated_ me. But I guess we all contributed to it, right?

Right?

Yet a part of me does not want to accept the truth. Even if all these unfortunate events keep happening before my eyes, all I ever want to do is deny, deny, deny. I feel as if I'm living in an unwanted and dark nightmare, only to wake up in my dorm room. Another day, another death, more torture. I don't want to believe that if it wasn't for _me_ wanting to try the board that none of this would've ever happened. I would like to believe that it was Carswell's fault for buying the board. _Carswell's_ fault for pushing its limits. All of our faults for joining in on it.

I don't know. I have no idea.

I have an idea, I know the whole story.

I just do not want to believe in it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Cress's POV**

"Okay, if you ever need anything-"

"Dad, I fully understand."

"But if you ever need to call me-"

"I have you on speed dial _and_ you've made me memorize your number over three times. I know, dad. I _will_." I gently tug my dad out of my small dorm room, giving him an exasperated smile. I knew he was only fretting for the best, in which I really did appreciate, but he could be too overprotective at times which was tiring.

Knowing he was stressing me out and not wanting to push my anxiety to its limits, he turned around to face me. His cheeks touched his wide-speckled glasses as he gave me a sad smile. It almost made me want to cry. No more frequent father-daughter small dates and movie Fridays. No more cuddling with my cat Buttercup. No more old friends at my old school - we all knew that when summer passed and fall came that we would lose touch anyway. The only thing I had left was Little Cress, my small Apple laptop that had been apart of me since my homeschooling days.

"Okay," I could hear a faint sniffle. "I'm just going to miss you _a lot_ back in Wisconsin, sweetheart. Make sure to call me _every single day_."

"Or FaceTime?" I perked up, trying to lighten his melancholy mood.

" _And_ FaceTime," he wistfully smiled. "Just know that-"

"I'm always here when you need me." I playfully rolled my eyes, my higher pitched voice chiming in with his deep one. "I _know_ , dad."

"Well," he shrugged. "I really am and will always be here for you. Goodbye my Crescent-moon."

I smiled. "Same over here, dad. Goodbye!" I gave him a kiss on the cheek before watching him leave, shutting the door behind him. It was bittersweet in a way. I didn't want to picture the image of my dad flying on the airplane from California back to Wisconsin. I did not want to picture the thought of my dad roaming around that empty house of ours all alone by himself. I had tried countless of times to get him set on dates just so he would not be alone when I left for college. But it never happened. I was everything to him, because I was the only piece of family he had left. And he was the only family I had _ever_ known. I could already picture the restless and sleepless nights from not only studying but of crying. I already felt sorry for whoever my roommates were, knowing they would become annoyed of my sniffles and whimpers at midnight due to being homesick.

I snapped out of my thoughts abruptly, hearing loud knocks on my door. Before retreating to open it, I realized I had been subconsciously holding my Virgin Mary pendant while I was lost in the thought.

 _This should be my_ _roommates_ I thought, internally cringing and panicking inside. I was nervous. Would they like me? _Me_ , a petite and shy girl from the Midwest? Would they end up not liking me? Would we spend everyday avoiding each other? God, that would be so awkward. Would I fulfill their first impression expectations? Did they have a complete different picture of what I looked like in their heads? Trying to calm the shaking in the hand I had outreached to the door, I twisted it open to see my two new roommates.

Both of them stood side by side. The one on the left caught my eye the most: she had rich, dark brown skin and blue braids. Her attire looked like something only a fashionista would pick out - something that was out of my budget. She was slim and tall with curves in all the right places.

To the right of her was a girl that looked more… simplistic. Less frightening, if that made the slightest sense. She had on a brown tank top that did not help accentuate her tan skin along with blue jeans and a messy bun. She even had a grease stain on the left side of her cheek. Girls like the one with the blue braids belonged on the cover of the magazine or was found on social media to have thousands of followers. It made me feel more insignificant than I already felt around people. It was girls like her that gave me anxiety unintentionally. At least I could breathe around this girl, who didn't seem like she would be the type to judge her on her choice of clothing and offer to do her makeup and pick out clothes like she was a charity case.

I quickly stood by the now widened door, giving them space to move in with their luggage. I felt bad for quickly judging them based upon their appearances, something I never wanted anyone to do to me. There was one scripture I swore to live by:

 _Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets._

In other words, the Golden Rule.

But a part of me couldn't help it. It was my over-functioning brain reaching its heights to give me a reason not to necessarily like them, but to be wary and cautious. It was jumping to conclusions that often gave me problems upon unnecessary problems, that gave me even more insignificant yet complicated anxiety. It was the unintentional judging that strung along with these first impression assumptions that made me absolutely drained.

I hoped I did not stare at them too long.

I hoped I didn't make them uncomfortable.

I hoped my smile wasn't too forced or creepy. I wanted to give out the impression that I very friendly. Because I was. I wanted to _prove_ it.

I silently took a deep breath like my father used to train me to do. My grip tightened on the doorknob. I could feel it getting sweaty and itching to slip from it.

Luckily, I did not have to worry about breaking the social barrier.

"Hi!" The blue-braided girl exclaimed, stopping in the middle of the dormroom. "My name is Iko, and this is Cinder." She gestured to the girl that was standing behind her now.

Cinder gave a small, tired smile. "Hi," she murmured softly.

 _Friendly enough_.

* * *

"What's your name?" Iko piped up cheerfully after she and Cinder adjusted a bit in their dorm. They were currently walking around campus, trying to familiarize themselves with the area and looking for a nearby coffee place. I hoped they had Starbucks. Then again, this was _Los Angeles._ They _had_ to have Starbucks.

I would've felt guilty and stupid about not telling Cinder and Iko my name, instead I blushed just a little. The minute Iko introduced herself and Cinder was game over for anyone but her to talk, which was something I did not mind. In fact, I liked talkative people who could hold a conversation. That meant less talking for me. Iko came across as the type who would have conversations by _herself_ at any given moment. In a sense, she was talking to a brick wall when talking to both Cinder and I. Every once and a while Cinder would interject with a smart comment and a playful smirk. I simply fidgeted with my hands or smoothed out my perfectly fine baby blue maxi dress.

"Oh," my eyes grew wide. "My name is Cress."

"Cress?" Iko said inquisitively. "Like the moon?"

I nodded, my blonde hair moving with me. Just over the summer I made the bold decision of cutting it much to my fathers dismay and friends approval. But I felt like it was better for _me_ and it symbolized another step towards adulthood.

"Yes. Crescent, that is."

"Oh, that's so beautiful! I have to steal that name when I have a daughter one day!" Iko clapped while Cinder rolled her eyes. "Isn't her name pretty, Cinder?"

Cinder nodded. "Yes, yes it is."

"Ya know, Cinder's real name is-"

"Iko, _don't_."

Iko patted Cinder's shoulder. "Right, sorry."

Iko soon found another topic to rumble on about, but I could not help but ponder what Cinder's "real" name was. Her reaction wasn't your typical "it's-embarrasing-and-I'd-rather-not-say" type of thing. It was more of a "I-don't-want-to-think-about-that-cursed-name."

Nonetheless, I proceeded to feign obliviousness to it, keeping it stored in my brain on "things not to bring up but never forget."

I would come to have _a lot_ of those.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cress's POV**

"Oh!" Iko squealed. "Do you want to go to the mall with me this weekend? Cinder never likes to go and I really really _really_ need a friend that's up for shopping!"

I grinned at Iko's excitement. The fact that I gained two friends in a span of a couple of days was a new world record for me. I kept a reminder in the back of my head to FaceTime dad tonight about my success at gaining new friends. I knew he would be proud.

 _Dad_.

I already missed him like crazy. He was my best friend. At times, he was my _only_ friend. I could always come to him about anything and I always told him everything. Of course, some things he would never understand (like periods, boy issues, hormones) and for that reason, I'd never bring it up, only kept it in. Those were the times where I ached having a mother or a female figure in my life. They were the times where even my best girl friends at my Catholic high school couldn't possibly understand me. But maybe - just maybe - Iko could come around and understand.

While Iko and I were getting even closer by the hour, Cinder and I had a _peculiar_ relationship. She was not like bubbly and talkative Iko. She was the _complete_ opposite of her. While Iko was very talkative and friendly, Cinder was more reserved, quiet, and friendly when being addressed to. She hardly ever said anything to me, only if it were generic questions like "Did you want to use the bathroom first?" Or, "I'm heading out." It was not like Cinder was ignoring me - she simply wasn't used to me yet and vice versa. For that reason, the social barrier was hard to break. While Iko was an extrovert, Cinder was an introvert like me. Two introverts conversing would be quite awkward - especially if neither of them could generate a conversation. We were only acquaintances who shared less than ten words a day to each other and addressed each other curt and formally. Iko was our only source that tied us together and the only thing we had in common.

It was Wednesday and Cinder had already headed out of our dorm room early noon, leaving Iko and I alone together. Even though we only knew each other for three days, I could already feel that Iko would be like the sister I always wanted and the sibling I never had.

"Sure," I said sweetly. "I wouldn't mind going."

Iko clapped her hands. "Great! Oh my gosh, Cress!"

I slightly jolted.

Did I mention that Iko's enthusiasm scared me sometimes?

Noticing this, Iko calmed down a few notches, apologizing. "Have you ever worn makeup before?"

I shook my head.

"Not a little eyeliner? No mascara?"

I grew uncomfortable under Iko's disbelieving stare. It made me feel like the little sheltered girl I was.

Iko gaped at me. "Not even _lipstick_?"

"I've owned one lip gloss." I say, although it came out like I was seeking for approval.

Iko shook her head fervently. "No! This is _not_ acceptable. We have to get you to a mall _asap_ , ya hear me?"

While I started to open my mouth, she continued.

"But before we go anywhere, I have someone I want to introduce you to."

I shut my mouth immediately. I knew Iko instantly detected my discomfort because she instantly tried giving _words_ of comfort. After a couple of days worth of sharing a dorm with me, she already knew my shy and reserved nature.

"But she's _really_ nice and like... the nicest person you will ever meet! I met her in the cafeteria _and_ we share a couple of classes together. She's very sweet. Although," Iko trailed off.

This made me worried.

"Although?" I edged on.

Iko sighed, her shoulder's slumping with her. "She's a little... _off_." Iko made whirly motions pointing to her head. "She has the tendency to make _some_ people uncomfortable at times by getting in their personal space, and she often has these... hallucinations she's told me of. I haven't witnessed one, and I hope I never will, because judging from what her best friend Jacin has said they can be pretty bad."

This was a lot to jug in at once.

 _She has the tendency to make some people uncomfortable at times._

Well, I was already an awkward person to be around. And entering new places and strange atmospheres sometimes made me uncomfortable.

 _Personal space._

I'm pretty big on keeping that.

 _Hallucinations._

I still did not know what to decide on that one. Then again, it wasn't my say to decide on anything. Out of all the things Iko listed, having hallucinations was something I'm sure this girl could not control and therefore, I shouldn't really be so worried and judging about. Although, a part of me could not help but ponder how odd it was to have hallucinations and wonder how'd she got them.

"Don't tell anyone," Iko's voice dropped low. "But she told me that she has schizo. Her name is Winter, also. So don't mind her if she seems a bit strange. And _please_ don't be wary of her."

 _Wary_ I thought. _I'm wary of everyone_.

While I was glad to hear of someone else that could relate to being called relatively strange and odd, I knew this girl - Winter - had it bad more than I did. While I struggled through social anxiety disorder: the immense fear of being judged and watched on top of an excessive, unreasonable fear of social situations, she possibly had to _live on_ my fear. A severe _mental illness._ Something that caused people to question the abnormality of the brain depending on how severe it is. Something that caused people to generate thoughts based upon someone acting differently from everyone else. Yet, something people had no trouble teasing and joking with other people about. It was horrible and cruel. Horrible to live with and cruel for people to turn into a joke.

"Are you ready to go?" I saw Iko, already in front of the door. Her blue braids were up in a high ponytail while she currently wore blue jean pants, a baby blue shirt, and a blue jean jacket with a MK hobo purse.

And here I was, delving into my thoughts like a diver drowning in water ten feet deep, unable to keep sturdy.

I nodded, running my fingers through my hair. "Sure."

* * *

Iko knocked on Winter's door. "Hello?" she asked.

At first, there was no acknowledgement from the other side of the door before we heard footsteps shuffling. It opened precipitously, revealing a curvy girl who had fiery red hair and freckles plastered under her big brown eyes.

She looked both of us up and down before arching an eyebrow. "Who are you guys?"

"We-"

"Are you Winter's friends?" she interrupted Iko.

Iko nodded her head and shut her mouth closed, getting a bit agitated. "Yes, we are."

The girl with the red hair looked us up and down once more before widening the door. "Winter!" She called back. "Your friends are here."

The girl sounded sarcastic at the word "friend." Did she think Winter was incapable of having those?

"Thank you, Scarlet-friend." The girl popped out from their bathroom door and reached for her wristlet purse. She gracefully waltzed up to Scarlet and gave her a slight smile before passing her to walk out into the hall. I almost forgot to give her space _to_ walk out into the hallway.

By far, she was the most _breath-taking_ girl I had ever known. Surely, the most beautiful friend. I thought Iko took that title, but not only did Winter give her a run for her money, she practically _stole_ it. Needless to say, Iko was still beautiful but _Winter_. Winter was the type of girl who'd automatically give you chills just by her name and lived up to it with her stature and face. She was the type of girl to attract not only guys but mere strangers on the street. One could not simply ignore her or look over her in a crowd full of people - whether she'd be towards the back, in the middle, or front center. It was _impossible_ not to notice her beauty. So much that my heart almost stopped and dropped with how beautiful she was. How beautiful _they_ were. What would people think when we go shopping and see Winter and Iko and then look over at me? While both of them we're nearly six feet, I had just made the cut for five feet. While they both had rich, dark brown skin, I had pale skin that bruised easily. I'd stick out like a sore thumb. Suddenly, I did not want to go out anymore. I only wanted to sulk in our dorm and hide in a bunch of blankets and only have Little Cress as my friend. At least I knew that my pathetic laptop couldn't show me up and make me feel insignificant in the presence of it. It made me feel more superior of it in fact because _I_ was the one who generated the software _Little Cress_. It made me feel special because I could do things with a computer that your average person _couldn't_ do.

Winter had skin that was as brown as chocolate, and eyes that popped out like the glow of a firefly. Her eyes were a liquid, unusual golden-brown color, and her figure was slim with all the right curves like Iko - except impossibly even more. She had tight, corkscrew ebony hair and a rare disfigurement on the right side of her face. They were three scars that trickled down like long, overdone tear drops. My gut wrenched at the sight. Was one of her hallucinations the cause of those scars?

I snapped out of my entrancement the moment she uttered a string of words. "Scarlet-friend, are you _sure_ you don't want to go shopping with us?"

 _Scarlet_ I pondered. _Pretty fitting._

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "I'm good." Then shut the door.

 _Pretty rude._

We started our walk out of the campus.

"Hey, Winter!" Iko cheerfully clapped.

Winter smiled her dazzling smile. "Hi, Iko!"

Before Winter could question who I was, Iko quickly introduced her to me. "This is _Cress_ , my friend. She's also my roommate along with my other very close friend, Cinder."

If it was even possible, Winter's smile widened. It was almost like she _wanted_ to flaunt that perfect smile of hers with her perfect pearly white teeth that belonged in a Colgate commercial. A part of me wanted to hate her for how perfect and smiley and friendly and happy she came off to be. But a part of me could not _because_ of how perfect, smiley, friendly, and happy she was.

"Cress," Winter echoed out loud as if she was trying to decipher if my name made the cut for her taste. Her voice was just as entrancing as her appearance. It was very smooth and airy like an angel. "Short for Crescent?" she innocently asked.

I nodded my head. I wonder how many times I would get asked about my name. "Yes."

"Oh!" she perked up, pointing her index finger so close to my Virgin Mary pendent that I was almost afraid she'd touch it. "You're catholic?"

"You're _catholic_?" Iko incredulously asked. She asked it in a way that it made me be ashamed to be catholic. Then again, maybe she was shocked that Winter was asking more in-depth questions in less than five minutes than she ever did in a span of three days.

"Yes, I am."

Winter's grin never wavered. "Oh, cool. I noticed the Virgin Mary and figured you were. Don't catholics worship Virgin Mary?"

"While we do not necessarily _worship_ Mary, we do love and honor her."

I felt slightly comfortable around Winter now. She gave me an opportunity to talk about something I knew like the back of my hand and a chance to speak on something I was passionate about.

* * *

"So do you know anyone else at Luna?" Iko asked Winter. We were all browsing around in the outlet mall of Los Angeles. We already had our Starbucks and now we were walking into Victoria Secret.

I had never been to Victoria Secret a day in my life, my father always cursed the store for all of its provocative lingerie. Here I am now, shopping casually in the store like I've been here a million times.

Winter immediately went by the lip gloss section. "Well, I think Scarlet-friend and I are getting pretty close."

Iko arched an eyebrow at her. "You say so?" I could hear the sarcasm dripping from her tongue, quickly making me shush her.

But Winter was oblivious to it all. "Yep. Also, Jacin is my best friend and he goes here, so that's a plus. I've met his roommate before. He goes by the name Wolf."

"Wolf." Iko sounded out.

"Like the animal?" I asked. _How stupid_ I thought immediately afterwards. _Of course like the animal._

"Yes, I believe so. Don't ask why, I don't know either. But he does have an unusual tattoo. But there's one person I wish could've went to college with both Jacin and I." Winter sighed sadly, still looking at lip glosses.

"Who?" I ask.

"Her name was Selene. She-" Winter paused mid-sentence, choking up amidst the tranquil and up-beat music in the store. "She went missing at three and we never heard of her again."

At this, Iko's mood turned from playful to serious. "Did you just say _Selene_?"

Winter nodded, still oblivious to the shift in Iko's tone. "Yes. _Our_ Selene. Jacin, Selene, and I were _very_ close friends."

Iko's eyes widened in shock. Non-surprisingly, what went unnoticed by Winter did not go unnoticed by me, and I heard what Iko whispered under her breath next:

" _Cinder_."

* * *

 **Slight plot twist? Thank you all for the** **wonderful and kind reviews! They really make my day :).**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cinder's POV**

"She's my _what_?"

"Your step-cousin!" Iko exclaimed.

"Iko, what are you even _talking_ about? You're speaking in riddles."

"No," Iko shook her head defiantly. "I'm speaking in _truth_!"

"Are you one hundred percent sure?"

"I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure."

"What about that other zero point zero one percent?"

"It doesn't matter, Cinder!" Iko yelled.

"And how would you know that she's my step-cousin?" I yelled back even louder. "How would you know that she wasn't talking about someone else? Stars, Iko do you _ever_ think things through?"

"Because it's a little _too_ accurate for my taste. For one, your real name is Sel-"

" _Don't_." I say. That word not only brought pain from a past life that I never knew and that never wanted me, but it was also a word that was foreign to me. It was a _stranger_ to me. Needless to say, I didn't want Cress to find out that much about me. We'd only known each other less than a week.

"Goodness, Cinder it's not like _Cress_ will tell anybody! Besides, she heard it when we went shopping." Iko gestured to Cress, who was sitting on her bed pretzel style and fidgeting her fingers meticulously.

As if _she_ had all these problems to worry about.

"And you're the only _Selene_ I know that was adopted."

"And? She told you that the girl went _missing."_

Iko sighed in frustration. "Couldn't that connect with your story? How Adri-"

"Adri was and still is a liar." I interrupted.

"-said that Garan told her you were found by him in a car accident? Isn't that kind of classified as missing?"

Tears threatened to fall down. "So _what_? I'm not the Selene she's talking about! There's no evidence leading up to that!"

Iko shook her head sorrowfully at how worked up I was getting... at how I _refused_ to believe that this could possibly be family. Family I longed for both biologically and adoptively. Family I've never had. Family that did not know my name as I did to it. The one string of hope - that one possible lineage I was turning away with no regrets, all hate. Hate? I didn't know. Denial? I had no idea. I just knew that after eighteen years of the abuse under my adoptive family, things surely could not turn for the good my first week of being on my own and in control of my own decisions for a change.

Questions proceeded to cloud my thoughts.

 _Where were they when I needed them?_

 _How could they have been so close yet so far away?_

 _I don't need them now. They can't possibly need me._

 _What do I need a family for now?_

 _Why am I getting worked up?_

 _What if this really isn't my family?_

 _Family_. It sounded as foreign as my supposed maiden name. The same name Adri would casually throw around along with a string of curses when cursing my given name. How they came up with Cinder? The world may never know. But it stuck with me. It stuck with me with my occupation as a mechanic. No one but Iko knows that I have a prosthetic ankle and a prosthetic hand that I usually kept in my glove. Well, people knew back at home. I was determined not to let anyone know here. Because that would only mean torture on top of torture. How I would manage to keep my hand concealed throughout my years in college, I didn't have an answer at the moment. All I knew was that no one was to ever know. Not my prosthetics and not my original name.

But people already knew that about me by now.

I shook my head in disbelief, grabbing my phone from my back pocket and opening the dorm room door.

"I'm going out!" I yell from the back of my shoulder, hearing the door close behind me.

* * *

"You're good at running away from your problems."

"No, I'm good at steering away from madness and nonsense."

"What if it _isn't_ madness and nonsense?"

"Just know that that's all that it is, Thorne." I rolled my eyes. I was at a nearby marketplace setting up for my small mechanic business I had since high school. It was an easy way to make chump change. Thorne sometimes came around whenever he needed something like his phone or iPad to be fixed. He was never good with electronics so he often came to me. Usually, Iko would help me out. But not this time.

Thorne and I met each other his last year of high school. He failed his senior year back at his old school and came to mine while I was transitioning to my junior year. How we met? Through lunch, ISS that was the new detention, and my part-time carefree job here in the marketplace.

"You're one to talk." I say, setting tools down on my booth. "Aren't you running away from _your_ problems?"

"No," Thorne suddenly snapped in a more serious tone. "I came back to mine."

From the corner of my eye, I could feel his ever glaring stare on me. This wasn't the goofy, class-clown Thorne I knew and platonically loved. Serious on Thorne seemed like a wolf in sheep's clothing, except, it wasn't fake this time. It fitted him just right.

 _Had something changed his time out of dropping high school?_

The world may never know. This, of course, I did not voice out in fear of making him angry.

"Anyways," his light tone came back, confusing me even more. "I only stopped by here to tell you that I got into Luna."

But the confusion I once had swiftly drifted into shock. "Really? How?"

Thorne batted his hand. "Just know that my little high school dropout kind of straightened me up for better _and_ for worse." He chuckled playfully. "I have transcripts from my old community college granting me to become a junior."

"Really?" I arched an eyebrow. "That's _pretty_ cool. I'm proud of you, Carswell."

Thorne started walking off. "That's _captain_ to you." He clarified from over his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes at his retreating form. "When pig's fly." I looked back down at his cracked iPad before yelling towards his back. "I'll have this done by Friday, probably!"

Hopefully he heard, because as soon as I looked up, he was already in the midst of the growing crowd.

"Excuse me?"

Startled, I jerked my head away from the crowd. Glancing up without having a chance to compose myself, I was faced with a boy. He looked no older than me if not around my age. It was hard to make out most his features, considering the unusual fact that he wore a _hoodie_.

Yes, a hoodie.

A hoodie in early September under the blazing sun of Los Angeles weather. He kept the hood over his head, and I could only make out the fact that his eyes were very dark and deep. I also noticed quite a few strands of jet black hair itching to get out his hood and to be set free.

I raised my eyebrows. "Yes?"

"Um... are you Linh Cinder?"

It took a lot in me not to roll my eyes. Plenty of times I've been asked if I was who I said I was. Some people genuinely thought I was the helper. It stung to know that my occupation was not a first choice for girls, and therefore came with the assumption that it was a man's job _always_. This logic has also been the root of almost every teasing and harassment I got in high school.

Nonetheless, I still forced a tight smile. "Yes, I am."

His eyes widened in embarrassment, and he quickly shuffled around in the wide pocket of his hoodie to reveal a Polaroid camera.

He set it down on my booth. "Um... my Polaroid camera is broken."

I picked it up gently, inspecting it closely. "How'd you break it?"

From the corner of my eye, I could see him break out of his tense stature, tucking his hood over his head while grinning.

"Well, I didn't necessarily break it. My younger twin cousins had the simple task of holding it for me while we were hauling up boxes to the college I got in from around here. One of them broke it."

"On cement?"

"On cement." He confirmed.

"Tragic," I replied.

"Tragic indeed."

We stood there in silence for a while. It was pretty awkward. To keep myself from making the situation even more awkward, I pretended to still inspect the camera and trying to figure out what was wrong with it.

Finally, the silence started to drift away. "Do you go to the college around here?" he asked.

I looked up. "Luna?"

He nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"I figured."

He made it sound smug, almost as if he'd seen me around campus. He sounded like Thorne.

"How'd you know?"

"I don't know... you seem like you're a college student from around here."

I didn't know whether that was a compliment or an insult. Then again, Los Angeles was filled with plastic and fake people inside and out.

I put the camera down on the cloth of my booth. "I could fix this sometime next week. Is there anything I can reach you by once I'm done with it?"

He nodded his head. "Would my phone number do?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

So we exchanged phone numbers.

"What's your name?" I asked, not wanting him to walk away without not knowing his name. Or worse, him having to bring it up.

He grinned again. "Kai. Will I see you around campus?" he asked before he started to walk off.

"I'm not sure." I said playfully, picking up one of my tools. "I make no guarantees."

"Don't you mean _warranties?"_ He joked, winking before disappearing in the bustling crowd.

For some reason, my heart kind of skipped a beat at the gesture. Not necessarily because I was attracted to this boy, but because I've never received this from a boy. The world of possible flirtation and attraction was as new to me as a newborn baby trying to breathe its first breath in the world. High school didn't teach me a thing, especially when I was treated as subhuman for my human replacements.

I hated it.

And I would have these conflicting emotions for quite a while, because I would grow to have more of these moments of fleeting joy yet ache from the world of lies, confessions, and a whole new realm that I would not be ready for.

At. All.

* * *

 **Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit crappy and short. I'd say this chapter is a filler one. It slightly introduces Thorne and Kai while incorporating Cinder's thoughts on having a family in the past life... and to the person who commented does Cinder know who she really is... it's never clearly answered in this chapter but you'll see pretty soon!**


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